All My Good Countrymen
(Vsichni Dobri Rodaci)
Jasny has said of the Moravian village of Kelc, where he was born, “this small town has given me the most ideas for my films.” All My Good Countrymen follows the inhabitants of just such a village through the bewildering politics of change from 1945 to 1968--through socialism and collectivism to a kind of bitter defeat. In a lyrically structured, epic format, Jasny follows the stories of 8 characters whose lives are interwoven over twenty years; fine ensemble acting accents his intricate mixture of drama and satire. In The Most Important Art, Liehm and Liehm write, “Jasny erected a mournful and nostalgic monument to the wasted lives of his friends...who after the war worked with him for a ‘better life.'” Photographed by Jaroslav Kucera, All My Good Countrymen was voted the outstanding film of 1968 by Czech critics and went on to win Jasny the Best Director award at the 1969 Cannes festival. The film opens at the Film Forum in New York.